The show’s official Facebook page has posted some lovely photos from the set.

Call the Midwife launched in 2012 and is one of the UK’s most watched dramas, with last year’s festive episode becoming the highest-rated show on Christmas Day with 9.5 million viewers.

Creator and writer Heidi Thomas commented: “It is an immense privilege to be starting work on series eight of Call The Midwife, and we can’t wait to share the events of 1964 with our loyal and passionate audience.”

She added: “People often ask me how we can keep coming back year after year, but the answer is simple – we never run out of stories, and we never run out of love.”